


"not like this"

by atzxcv



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Afterlife, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29794536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atzxcv/pseuds/atzxcv
Summary: Everything came to an end that day.Spoilers for Tommy's March 1 (2021) stream.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	"not like this"

**Author's Note:**

> Again, spoilers for Tommy's stream on March 1, 2021.
> 
> This one is gonna hurt.

Tommy’s death was a strange thing to consider. 

It wasn’t like Schlatt’s death. He had died surrounded by people who knew him, although very few (if any) could claim to truly love him. It was a pitiful death - some might even say a coward’s death - so dismal that in that instant, it was difficult to feel bad for him. 

It wasn’t like Wilbur’s death. It was a quiet thing, only the sound of a sword slipping into flesh, almost silent compared to the chaos that unfolded below. Wilbur had destroyed himself and his nation in the blink of an eye, changing everything and nothing all at the same time.

It wasn’t the hero’s death that Techno had tried to bestow on him. Techno’s cries still echoed through Tommy’s nightmares, a haunting melody above the screams of withers and the rhythm of almost-maniacal laughter. 

Tommy didn’t think anything of the first punch. He screamed back into Dream’s face, the words tumbling out of his mouth, challenging him with the scraps of bravado he had left. The second punch knocked him to his knees, but he couldn’t stop himself. 

“COME ON!” he howled, his voice echoing against the weeping obsidian, even as blow after blow landed. His ears rang as the world spun. 

His body ached, the thin fabric of his t-shirt doing nothing to prevent him from the barrage of violence raining down upon him. In the darkness of that prison cell, illuminated only by the lava flowing from the ceiling, he fell. Dream’s voice echoed through his ears, far too familiar for Tommy’s comfort, the cries driving into his mind. 

He curled into a ball, covering his ears and trying to protect himself. He was certain that he screamed as the blows continued to land, but he did not ask for mercy. He did not plead for Dream to stop.

TommyInnit did not beg, even in his final moments. 

He curled in on himself tighter, squeezing his eyes shut. Tears leaked down his eyes, dripping down onto the obsidian below him. The ringing in his ears grew louder and louder until he could hear nothing more. The passage of time no longer registered, body going numb in some final act of self-preservation. 

And then, something changed. If someone asked him, he might not have been able to describe it. But in the blink of an eye, the universe shifted around him. 

The quiet was the worst part. It echoed through his ears, filling his mind. It was the sound of solitude, of absolute aloneness. 

The first noise he registered was the sound of leather boots on stone. 

“T-Tommy?” 

His body refused to uncurl, terrified of what might happen. He jolted as a hand was placed feather-light on his wrist, lashing out instinctually. 

“Tommy.” 

He blinked hard, suddenly registering the voice. No, no, no. It couldn’t be-

“Wilbur?”

His brother stood before him. His hair was still messy, shoved underneath the beanie that Tommy knew Phil had made for him so many years ago. The bags under his eyes were as deep as ever, but his eyes were softer than Tommy had seen them in a long time.

“Tommy, what-” Wilbur took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it. 

“Surprise,” Tommy said, voice cracking even as he tried to make the joke. 

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” With those words, the tears began to fall, dripping onto his gunpowder-singed jacket. He stepped forward, reaching out to pull Tommy in a tight hug. 

“Not happy to see me?” Tommy asked with a smile even as the tears streaked down his cheeks. He wrapped his arms around Wilbur, nestling into the crook of his neck. 

“Not like this,” Wilbur said, voice muffled. He pulled back for a moment, holding Tommy at arm’s length. 

“What do you mean?” Tommy asked, wiping away his face roughly with the back of his hand. 

“You were never supposed to get hurt, Tommy,” Wilbur said with a wet laugh. “I did all of this for you. I never wanted you to get hurt.” 

“Wilbur, this wasn’t your fault-” Tommy started, but Wilbur cut him off. 

“I wanted to protect you. You lived through unimaginable things. You didn’t deserve any of that pain.”

“Didn’t I?” The simple question triggered an onslaught of memories. His arguments with Techno. How he had made jokes at Tubbo’s expense. How he had taken ores and potions without second thought. The destruction that he had left in his wake. 

“Oh, Tommy,” Wilbur said, the heartbreak evident in his voice. He wrapped Tommy in another hug. It was tighter this time, as though Wilbur was trying to push everything unspoken through the embrace. “I’m so proud of you.”

“You are? Really?” Tommy said, laughing into Wilbur’s shoulder. 

“You did such great things,” Wilbur said, releasing him from that embrace. “You’ve left a legacy on this server. You were the most loyal of friends, the bravest of leaders, the fiercest of warriors. Your name will be remembered for years to come.”

Tommy sighed with a smile, relaxing muscles he hadn’t realized were tense. He had been so tense for so long. It felt good to finally relax. 

“Come on,” Wilbur said, bumping into his shoulder and beckoning him forward. “I’ve got so much to show you.”

“Coming, Wilbur!” He ran after Wilbur, smile widening on his face as they ran together into the infinite unknown. 


End file.
